Will you get the covid vaccine!

Rainyday7

Today the UK announced that one of the Covid vaccine has been approved and will be rolled out within 10 days. I believe the EU will have approval by the end of December. I'm in the middle of chemo so probably won't get it until after chemo is finished.

Once approval comes will you get the vaccine immediately or wait and see?

illimae

I’m a wait and see girl, maybe after 6-12 months I’ll consider it, possibly sooner, if my MO urges me too.

MountainMia

I will when it's my turn. If you're in treatment, DEFINITELY check with your MO or other oncologist before getting any vaccinations.

ctmbsikia

Yes, when it's my turn.

MinusTwo

I think there is already an earlier thread asking this same exact question. As I answered on there, I will take the vaccine but I don't plan to be in the first wave,

DebAL

yep, and most likely in the first wave since I got pulled from my nice retirement RN position lol back into the hospital to help at the bedside. Messaged MO today and she recommends taking it

edj3

I'll take it as soon as I'm allowed.

Anonymous

I will wait until health care workers, seniors, and essential workers have had theirs. If OK with MO, I'll get it as soon as I can schedule it.

blue22

As many others said - yes, when it is my turn. Healthcare workers are priority, then hopefully teachers and others who cannot work from home etc.

BevJen

I will absolutely get it, so long as my MO approves, as soon as I can.

nopink2019

Count me in! Glad health care workers etc will be prioritized, though.

LeesaD

Yes I will get the vaccine as soon as it’s available and it’s my turn.

exbrnxgrl

I am a teacher so I guess my number might come up sooner rather than later. My school district has said they will not make the vaccination mandatory, however we are still doing distance learning

ruthbru

Heck, yes! I had Covid. I have never had a more miserable seven consecutive days in my life (and I was one of the lucky ones as I didn't end up in the hospital or worse).

Mavericksmom

I messaged the moderators last week and asked them to put something out about Covid vaccines, who should get one when available, if lymphedema adds to ones risk, etc. I was told they forwarded my email to editors. So far I haven't seen any information on this website.

I don't know what I am doing. I work in a school, I am pretty fed up with the whole issue, as no one has a clear message. My husband and I worked for one of the manufacturers of the vaccines, my husband retired from that company and it is where our health insurance is from via retirement benefits, so I will get their vaccine, but don't have confidence in the others.

Too many mixed messages about Covid. My MO today told me that I don't have a compromised immune system even though I have severe lymphedema in my left arm. She said my immune system is as normal as everyone elses! I didn't know everyone else had normal immune systems! Honestly, I am no longer looking for answers from the medical community as they never seem to have any. I will just go by how I feel, so if I feel confident at the time and there is still a substantial amount of Covid around I will get the vaccine, if not, I won't.

Anonymous

I have mild LE in my left arm. I'm very careful with that arm (no needles/blood pressure readings/pup play), but it has had no effect anywhere else. I'm on Ibrance and my blood counts "look" bad. I still got my flu shot last week. It took 2 days for the soreness to go away. The same amount of time it took to go away last year before I started Ibrance.

The virus will continue to spread until enough of us get vaccinated. A vaccine expert estimates at least 75% need be vaccinated to stop the spread. That will be tough to reach in some areas. Our hospitals have been overwhelmed. I really don't want to catch this virus and add to that burden. Getting the vaccine, any approved vaccine, is the way to go. The vaccine expert said the foundation of the vaccines is based on over a decade of research. Once the genome was shared at the beginning of the year, he said they knew what to do.

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2020-11-16/vaccine-expert-peter-hotez-on-coronavirus-the-worst-may-still-be-yet-to-come

WC3

I will most definately get it but probably not for several months after it becomes available as I believe health care workers and high risk individuals should be prioretized.

Jelson

Yes I will get a vaccine - Pfizer or Moderna's. The fact that the vaccines are being approved by other countries gives me confidence that they have not been carelessly rushed through the approval process here. I am excited to benefit from the new mRNA technology.

NancyD

Yes, definitely! I am over 65 and want to get back to a more normal life. I have things I want to do before I'm too old or die.

Update: Had first shot on 1/25 and the second one on 2/15. I received the Pfizer vaccine. No or minimal reactions, but it might have exacerbated my knee arthritis which was acting up with the weather and the wearing off of the hyarulonic acid shot I had in October. Feeling fine now.

exbrnxgrl

mavericksmom,

I understand your frustration and I work in a school as well. I have mild lymphedema in one arm, but lymphedema is not something which compromises your immune system so your doctor is correct. I am stage IV but my current meds do not compromise my immune system so even at stage IV, one is not necessarily immune compromised.

Yes, the uncertainty and changing information we get on COVID is crazy making. The only way to lower my stress/frustration level is to remember that this is a novel virus and we learn new things about it daily. I am glad that we change what needs to be done as we learn more but I agree that it is frustrating. My district did say that when teachers are at bat to get the vaccine they will make it available to us but not mandatory

finallyoverit

I asked my MO about this exact thing yesterday. He believes it to be safe and wants me to get it, as long as it is the inactive virus one (I forget what manufacturer this one is) as opposed to the live virus one. He offered to write me a letter if needed to get me towards the front of the line. As a first responder, I think I’ll already be near the front of the pack. I would like to see a little more data before I stick my arm out, but getting my MOs nod of approval definitely helps my confidence in the vaccine

Mavericksmom

exbrnxgrl, thank you for your comments, I appreciated them! I think I confused compromise in the arm with compromise in the body.

As for live vs dead vaccines, viruses are not alive like bacteria. They need a host. I know some of the vaccines are using RNA from invaded cells.

This is the reason I want the Moderators/ Editors to PLEASE put some information about the Covid vaccines on this website!!! My guess is that even the medical community, while supporting the vaccine, have many questions pertaining not only who should get the vaccine due to high risk, but who might have much more risk from getting the vaccine than trying to prevent the virus via safety precautions.

ThreeTree

I'm another wait and seer. I'll give it 6 months or so. It might take that long anyway since I do believe all those healthcare workers, etc. should get it first. I am wary because it's been rushed and politicized, and some of these things wind up with horrible side effects that show up months and years down the road. I really like tried and true stuff and not particularly "all the latest." I can't see where I won't be just staying home all the time as I do now within the next 6 months anyway.

Jackster51

I will take it at some point.. I won't be in first or second or even 3rd position... But after dealing with side effects from chemo 10 years later that were never disclosed to me as possible... that have a very negative effect on my QOL,... I'll definitely wait a while so I can read up on those "rare" side effects!

JCSLibrarian

I am of the wait and see group. We do not have that much information on the side effects of this vaccine. My white blood cell count is still low due to chemo so I worry some about being injected with a live virus. I appreciate the possibility of front line workers having the opportunity to get the vaccine. I will chose to mask, wash my hands and stay home as much as possible.

BevJen

I believe that the two vaccines currently before the FDA for approval -- Pfizer and Moderna -- are NOT live virus vaccines. They are mRNA vaccines. The only live vaccine that I've heard about so far is the AstraZeneca vaccine that's not been put up for approval anywhere yet.

I suspect that our MOs won't want us to have live vaccines anyway (I think a few people mentioned this.)

I am old enough to remember getting the polio vaccine on a sugar cube in the late fifties. What the heck did anyone know at that time? Yet we all did it to avoid getting polio.

I hope many, many people choose to get this vaccine, not only to protect themselves but to protect the society as a whole.

Mavericksmom

BevJen, thanks for the memory flash back! I remember those cubes, they had pink in them and I thought they were so pretty and tasted so good! I remember they were distributed in the gym of a jr high school and we waited in a long line to get them. Yes, back then we all just did what we were asked to do. My uncle died of polio as a teenager.

I too hope a lot of people get vaccinated so we can get control of this virus!

Anonymous

I'm not old enough for the vaccine on a sugar cube. Apparently it inspired a Disney song. Maybe they could put the stuff in edibles? 😁

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/spoonful-of-sugar-how-mary-poppins-contributed-to-the-covid-vaccine-story-1.4427562

BevJen

SerenitySTAT,

Wow, that is an amazing bit of trivia. I had no idea! But yup, it was pink, it was in a little cup, and you just threw it in your mouth. Amazing that I had such a vivid memory of that.

Salamandra

I am a teacher and I plan to get it whenever it is available to me. I know multiple people my age suffering from long COVID and that is not something I ever want to deal with. I never want to feel responsible for spreading it either.

ruthbru

At my town, everyone got the sugar cube at the school. I remember all the families standing in lines waiting their turn. I thought it was a pretty nifty way to get a vaccination because who likes shots?!